This invention relates to an animal feeder and more particularly a feeder for the feeding liquid feed to small animals such as calves.
Various types of feeder devices are known for the feeding of liquid feed to young animals such as calves. One such device is a bottle with a teat. The bottle is intended to be hand held in a position such that the animal can suckle the teat.
Another type of animal feeder is a mobile feeder which has a tank or container mounted on a mobile frame or chassis. The container is connected to a plurality of teats. For example the teats can be connected direct to the container or to a manifold which is in turn connected to the container. The feeder can thus be transported to the site at which it is to be used e.g. a pasture in which the animals to be fed are located.
Yet another type of animal feeding device is a container which has one or a plurality of teats mounted in a wall of the container adjacent the floor of the container. The feeder device is designed to be mounted on and supported by a structure such as a fence. In use the feeder will be mounted at a height such that an animal can access the teat or one of a series of the teats projecting from the container wall and thereby draw liquid feed from the container.
The mounting arrangement of one known form of feeder of this type can permit the container to be mounted to the structure (e.g. fence) so it is located on the same side of the structure at which the animal(s) are located. Another form of this type of feeder has a mounting arrangement where the container is located at the side of the supporting structure opposite to that at which the animal(s) are located. With this form of feeder the teat(s) project through the structure to thereby be accessible to the feeding animal(s).
Some animal breeders/farmers prefer this latter form of the feeder because the container is not exposed to damage or becoming dislodged by the animal(s) feeding therefrom. Also the container may be considered to be more accessible to filling with the feed.
To make the teat(s) accessible to the feeding animals the orientation of the teats differs from one form of the feeder to the other. Thus with the form of feeder which is located on the same side of the structure to the animal(s) the teat will project directly out from the container in a direction away from the plane of the structure. With the other form of the feeder, however, the teat must be directed through the structure so as to be accessible to the animal. The two types of feeders thus have different constructions.
Suppliers of animal feeders thus need to stock both forms of the feeder to cater for the preferences of theft customers. Also some manufacturers produce both of these forms of feeder to meet market demand. Also some farmers/breeders may have both forms of the feeder in order to deal with different situations arising from restrictions as to how the feeder may be attached to a particular fence or other structure.